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Health Watch - Men's Health: Preventing Prostate Cancer

Jun 19, 2009

Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.

This week on Health Watch, as we celebrate Father’s Day we’re talking about men’s health issues. Prostate cancer is one of the important health topics for men, as it affects about one in six men.

Dr. Yair Lotan, a urologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says one difficulty with prostate cancer is that there isn’t much you can do to prevent it. The big risk factors include age, family history and ethnicity, and those are things you can’t change. A low-fat diet may help lower risk for prostate cancer, as well as other cancers. Researchers are also testing medications to prevent cancer in men at high risk. But even if you can’t prevent prostate cancer, you can improve your chances of surviving it by detecting it early. Men should have annual exams and blood tests starting at age 45 — earlier if they have a family history. See a doctor if you notice symptoms such as pelvic pain, difficulty urinating or blood in the urine.